Saagar Kote
‘The Scandal’ is a Korean historical romantic drama series that delves into a complex tale of love, lust, and lies. It centers on Yun, a lady of the realm in Joseon, her cousin, Won, and Hui-yeon, a widow. Although she is married to Lord Yoo, Yun has romantic feelings for Won, who is regarded as one of the most notorious lovers in the kingdom. Yun starts a deadly game when she challenges Won to seduce Hui-yeon, who is still mourning her dead husband and is extremely committed to spending the rest of her life as a chaste widow. To impress Yun and possibly earn her romantic feelings, Won accepts the challenge.
Yun, Won, and Hui-yeon find themselves in a chaos of their own making as the game turns unpredictable. When real feelings emerge, the stakes get higher for all three of them, as they desperately hope to find true love and happiness. Tough decisions, sacrifices, and betrayals await Yun, Won, and Hui-yeon when they attempt to come to terms with the real depths of their emotions. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Scandal Plot Synopsis
Lady Cho, AKA Yun, is a deeply knowledgeable woman in Joseon who has always been restricted because of her gender. She is married to Lord Yoo, but the couple is unable to produce an heir. Owing to this complicated matter, Lord Yoo takes So-ok, a commoner, as his mattress, for the exclusive task of bearing him a child. Though she is reluctant, Yun accepts So-ok’s position in her life. However, Yun comes up with a plan that turns her life upside down. She shares a special bond with her cousin, Cho Won, who is known to be the most prolific lover in the kingdom. Won and Yun’s relationship begins during their teenage years, ultimately leading to complex romantic feelings as well. Despite being married to Yoo, Yun still harbors deep love for Won and decides to play an intricate game.
She invites Won to her city and challenges him to impregnate So-ok. However, another person enters this strange equation, making it even more chaotic. On the way to meet Yun, Won spots Hui-yeon, a beautiful widow who is extremely loyal to her dead husband and refuses to partake in the pleasures of life. When Yun learns of the widow, she challenges Won to prove his seductive abilities by charming Hui-yeon and engaging in sex with her. Yun agrees to sleep with Won if he manages to complete this task. Won reveals that he has always longed for Yun’s intimate company and accepts the bet. What follows is a complex game of deception, lust, and emotional chaos. While Won has slept with several women in his life, it is revealed that he only did so to fill the void that Yun left in his heart when she married Yoo.
Hui-yeon initially remains extremely steadfast in her emotional loyalty towards her dead husband. Won and Yun continue to separately haunt Hui-yeon, using her for their own twisted game. The situation takes a turn when Hui-yeon starts developing genuine feelings for Won, who also seems to recognize his own vulnerability. Yun begins to suspect that her own plan could turn against her, growing desperate. The fates of Won, Yun, and Hui-yeon remain uncertain as their feelings force them to make tough decisions.
The Scandal Ending: Is Won Dead? Why Did He Kill Himself?
Won goes through the vivid emotional experiences in his pursuit of feminine tenderness throughout his life. Known as a charmer and seducer, he often limits his bonds with women to sexual pleasure alone. However, Yun and Hui-yeon are the only two women who break this barrier, leaving a deep impression on Won. While Won’s desperate attempt to woo Hui-yeon starts because of his bet with Yun, the situation becomes more complicated than expected. After convincing Hui-yeon that he truly loves her and hopes to be with her, Won finally manages to be physically intimate with her, thus fulfilling Yun’s challenge. Yun promises to sleep with Won if he somehow successfully seduces Hui-yeon. With the challenge now complete, Won finds himself at an impasse.
Although he starts his journey with Hui-yeon for sexual conquest alone, he develops complex feelings for her. Hui-yeon breaks her Catholic vows and her moral values to be intimate with him, because she is truly in love with him. She tells him that she no longer wishes to live merely as a widow, but to experience the joys of love and life with him. Won assumes that he can easily let go of Hui-yeon once his task is complete, but he realizes that he cannot simply abandon her and take part in betrayal. On the other hand, Yun believes that Won will always choose her, no matter what happens. The chaos in this love triangle intensifies when the King orders Won to gather evidence of Hui-yeon’s supposed death. Won goes to Yun and informs her of his predicament.
Yun senses that he has actually developed feelings for Hui-yeon and takes an unexpected step. She hands him a letter that falsely says that Hui-yeon jumped off a cliff and ended her life. Yun tells Won that she expects Hui-yeon to actually kill herself in the name of virtue and honor. Won is taken aback and hesitates to say anything more. He realizes he is now stuck between two women who are deeply loyal to him and want to be with him at all costs. Won promises Hui-yeon that he will sail far away with her, so that they can live together. He also makes a similar declaration to Yun. Hui-yeon visits Yun in a state of desperation because she understands that Won is in trouble. Seeing both women together makes Won uncomfortable as he struggles to keep lying to them.
When asked to state his intentions with honesty, Won hesitates to declare his loyalty to Hui-yeon, and later lies about his commitment to Yun. When Won hands the letter to the King, the monarch deduces that he is lying about Hui-yeon’s death. The King instantly dismisses Won from his presence and orders him not to appear at court ever again. Heartbroken, Won writes a letter to Yun, in which he falsely claims that the King was satisfied with the evidence related to Hui-yeon’s apparent death. At this point, both Yun and Hui-yeon separately continue to wait for Won to arrive and take them away. However, a shocking decision turns the situation on its head. Because of his profound sense of guilt and the realization of his immoral and lustful ways, Won reaches a point of no return.
He comes to the conclusion that he has betrayed both Yun and Hui-yeon equally and made false promises to both. He can no longer bring himself to face his own emotions. Won boards a small boat and heads out to the river, telling the boatman to take him to another town. While stating that he no longer has a purpose in life, Won jumps into the river, killing himself in a moment of deep melancholy. His life becomes a tragic symbol of desire, the desperate pursuit of true love, the cost of duplicity, and the inability to escape one’s own feelings.
Does Hui-yeon Survive? What Happens to Yun?
Hui-yeon is a complicated woman whose life revolves around desire, faith, and the tribulations of love. Though she remains a loyal widow for a major part of her journey, she ultimately gives in to her feelings and gets intimate with Won. After leaving her in-laws’ residence, Hui-yeon visits her ancestral house, where Won desperately pursues her. Her life takes an unexpected turn when a rumor leads the outside world to believe that she is dead. While Hui-yeon’s supposed death brings grief to her in-laws, they try to use this news to their own benefit. Hui-yeon’s father-in-law, the Left State Councilor, at the behest of his wife, makes a surprising decision. He petitions the King to approve a memorial gate in honor of Hui-yeon and declare her a woman of true virtue.
The King demands definite proof of Hui-yeon’s death to approve the memorial gate. Though Yun tries to persuade Hui-yeon to kill herself, Hui-yeon finds it difficult to do so because of her newfound love for Won. After Won kills himself, Hui-yeon still keeps believing that he might be alive somewhere. She cannot bring herself to accept that he has left her without honoring his words. Going through vivid emotions of loss, longing, and a touch of delusion, Hui-yeon hopes to reunite with Won again. She also visits the Catholic Church secretly, hoping that faith can heal her. Ultimately, her future will presumably be spent waiting for Won’s return, trying to hold on to life, and also repenting for the actions she believes are sins.
Yun is the one who starts the game of lust and deception between herself, Won, and Hui-yeon. Yun is also heartbroken when she learns that Won may have passed away, but continues to believe that he may yet be alive. Much like Hui-yeon, Yun is also deeply in love with Won, despite all his shortcomings. As a woman in a position of power, she uses her authority to play an intricate emotional game with both Hui-yeon and Won. However, her unpredictable moves finally work against her. She compromises her own safety multiple times to ensure that the bet between herself and Won is completed. While she assumes that she can be casual about Won’s actions towards other women, she finds it difficult to accept that he has developed feelings for Hui-yeon.
Though she knows deep down that Won is dead, Yun still waits for him to return and fulfill his promise of sailing away with her. Towards the end, she finds herself in a puzzling situation, torn between her duties as a respected figure of the land and her emotional tribulations. One of the most important parts of Yun’s life is her ability to be discreet about her emotions, giving her the unique skill of convincing others of almost anything. Even for someone as secretive as Yun, her romantic feelings get the better of her, as she is unable to accept the love between Hui-yeon and Won. Yun will most likely lead the rest of her life with a sense of guilt and find it tough to show emotional commitment to anyone.
What Happens to In-ho and So-ok? Do Chil-seong and Eun-sil End up Together?
In-ho and So-ok fall in love secretly, though So-ok is officially Lord Yoo’s mistress. So-ok is expected to bear Yoo’s child and nothing more, making her position a complicated one. When In-ho and So-ok cross paths and develop feelings, In-ho is unaware of the fact that she is someone’s mistress. When he learns of this, In-ho initially dismisses So-ok. Later, he comes to realize that he genuinely loves So-ok, despite her supposed shortcomings and secrets. Towards the end, when In-ho and So-ok are in a state of undress, they are spotted by In-ho’s mother, who is taken aback.
What follows is a chaotic ordeal, following which In-ho and So-ok are separated, because of social conventions and So-ok already being declared for Yoo. So-ok gets pregnant, but it is unclear if the child is Yoo’s or In-ho’s. Yun uses her authority to save So-ok from further embarrassment and welcomes her back. A heavily pregnant So-ok is shown to be living comfortably in Yoo’s household, where she will presumably give birth and fulfill her obligations. Despite In-ho and So-ok deeply loving each other, they cannot be together. Eun-sil and Chil-seong fall in love with each other instantly while serving their respective masters.
The two of them frequently get physically intimate in secret, while also continuing to bond emotionally. Won’s death leaves both Eun-sil and Chil-seong in shock, but they continue to love each other. Eventually, Chil-seong and Eun-sil are freed of their responsibilities as servants. This is a result of Won’s actions before his death. Won ensures that they are able to live as free individuals. Ultimately, Eun-sil and Chil-seong stay loyal to each other and forge a deeper relationship.
Read More: Where is Netflix’s The Scandal Filmed?
